Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

Excellent very modern murder/mystery book set in Sweden (unsurprisingly - see his name). First book in a trilogy. A good thriller and a remarkable insight into Swedish people and lifestyles. Some very gory and sexually abusive bits but the story depends on those bits. And at the beginning of each chapter Larsson (who was a newspaper investigator/reporter) quotes a statistic on the abuse of women in Sweden.

A long book, sometimes tough, but a very good read.

9/10

Monday, December 28, 2009

Playing with Grown ups - Sophie Dahl

The back said she was as marvellous as her grandfather.. which I guess is a ompliment but quite a lot to live up to.

I liked it, the story switches between a girl growing up in her teens with a unappropriate mother who clearly struggles.. to the girl grown up going to visit her mother. Nothing unexpected in the story but easy to read and enjoyably

8/10

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The mirror crack'd from side to side - Agatha Christie

The first Christie I've read where I've known exactly who's done it all the way through (because I've seen the film several times...) A good story and interesting spotting how many clues are given throughout when you know who done it in advance.
Miss Marple is very old in this one and seems to spend most of the book making observations that people on the dreadful new housing estate are really just like normal people (although the only really good egg on the estate wants to move at the end) and pressing drinks on people.


8/10
and this means i read 21 books this year...

life and soul of the party - Mike Gayle

story told through several parties during the year by a groupd of friends. Nice.. easy and defo not too cheesy

8/10

Evil Seed - Joanne Harris

I love her normally and ths was alright but not amazing. bit disappointed it had vampires in as I've read a LOT of vampire stuff this year.

8/10

book thief markus zusak

marvellous. not sure why it needed to be told by death.. but it does remind you how very present he was in nazi germany
Really interesting view of life from ordinary germans..not the boy in stripped Pjs or Anne Frank but ordinary folks.

did break my heart at the end though

10/10

Generation X - Douglas Coupland

slightly spoilt by mark who kept asking 'have you got to XXXX yet?' but a nie story of 3 kids who have kinda dropped out of american life Not deperate to read all his other stuff but I might do gradually

8/10

Looking for Andrew McCarthy by Jenny Colgan

easy bit of reading. quite a good story without a DREADFUL ending although pretty cheesy

7/10

Revenge of the Wedding Planner by Sharon Owens

pretty poor chick lit that I bought second hand. no need to read more of this lady!

5/10

Hornet's Nest by Patricia Cornwell

pretty dreadful crime thriller. Silly story linking it together and the worst description of a transexual ever!!!

6/10

wish you were here - mike gayle

he writes good boy-chick lit and this is the same as normal
good story not dreadfully cheesy at the end

7/10

Until I find you - John Irving

not his best but still good. story that kept you gripped all the way through about a boy growing up with his mother who is hunting for his father.. nice twist at the end

8/10

The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant

Think this was a 3 for 2. Not amazing but interesting read about imigrants settling into life in london (or not really settling). Was nominated for the booker prize

7/10

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Reluctant Fundamentalist - mohsin hamid

Marvellous

softly written but rather deep I think you'll find.. and interesting that at the end you don't fully understand

9/10

Babe - Dick King Smith

I think we were now in the bad part of summer and I needed some PROPER comfort reading.. so I thought I'd read babe and obviously it's being counted!!

fabulous as ever

8/10

Summer of Secrets - Martina Reilly

Lue brought this round thinking it was my book.. it wasn't but I read it anyway.

Bit chick lit.. not very clever although it did have my favourite with chapters told by different people.

5/10

Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

She tried to mix this up a bit with different chapters told by different people.. because the others were written like that it was a bit odd but otherwise big parts of the story would be missed

7/10

Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

Not as good as the others and a bit gory

Bella was starting to be a bit of a sap.

6/10

New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

Well it would be rude not to read the whole set

Wasn't expecting that with Jacob!

8/10

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

If everyone else is ranting about it, you just have to read it.

Entertaining and fueled many conversations I might have missed out on otherwise.

8/10

The talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

I've read it before but it's still marvellous everytime.. very clever and a bit scary!

7/10

The reader - Bernhard Schlink

liked this a lot.. and the unsureness at the end.. would tell you what I thought but not sure everyone has read it!

8/10

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Time's Arrow by Martin Amis

Recommended by Sarah when we were talking about Martin Amis. A remarkable piece of fiction linked to some truth. Very clever writing by Martin Amis (who has a reputation of being too clever - perhaps pretentious) but with a horrific story line that emerges as you read more.

So, excellent novel but not for everybody - certainly not for Mum. Try London Fields instead if you want to taste Martin Amis's clever (prententious) style. Any other Matin Amis novels recommended?

9/10

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Murder is easy - Agatha Christie

A whole series of mysterious deaths is a village that turns out to be not as quiet as anticipated. There's a strange subplot about an apparently GAY antique dealer who is clearly up to no good and perhaps a satanist. But the actual end was pretty good with a few unexpected twists. Liked this one.

Risk Assessment - James Goss

James' second torchwood book. Great fun.

Murde at the vicarage - Agatha Christie

The first Miss Marple story, she's already an old spinster of the village. Colonel Protheroe is murdered and it turns out just about everyone had a motive! Realised towards the end that I've seen this on tv...